Book Beat Reviews

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Review by Ella; dreamer, ski racer, writer, and rock climber. Ella lives in SV, Idaho with her mom, dad, cat, dog, gecko, and fish.

Imagine, you have the perfect senior year ahead, you have a car, an almost-boyfriend, and a best friend that anyone would be lucky to have. Well, in the book Anna and the French Kiss, all of this is taken away from Anna when her father sends her off to the School of America in France. Her father has found wealth in writing sappy romance novels and now wants to show off his wealth by sending Anna to the School of America. When Anna gets there she doesn’t expect her parents to actually leave her. She is distraught but makes a new friend that night, Meredith. 

She fits right into Meredith’s group of friends, Rashmi, Josh, and St. Clair. Anna grows close to St. Clair and Meredith but there is one problem, Anna starts to fall for St. Clair who has a girlfriend, Ellie. Anna and St. Clair become closer than ever and Anna is hopeful that St. Clair feels the same way about her. But a tragedy strikes. St. Clair’s mom has cancer and his evil father won’t let him visit her. Afraid of change, St. Clair stays in his rocky relationship with Ellie, leaving Anna wondering if any of their conversations over holidays or seemingly obvious more-than-friends connection meant anything to him. Anna and St. Clair fight and Anna starts dating another guy. Will Anna and St. Clair end up together is the question you are asking throughout this passionate, romantic, and beautifully written book.

Find it in print here.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

I love reading, and my favorite book is My Sister’s Keeper. I am in the 8th grade and enjoy dance.

The Selection is a book written by Kiera Cass. It takes place in a dystopian society called Illea (pronounced ill-ya) where there are rankings based on what your profession is, and how much money you make/have. It is told through the perspective of America Singer, and her journey. They have a competition for girls from different areas in Illea to win the prince’s heart and become a princess. This competition is called the Selection- hence the name of the book.

America is chosen for the selection, and she has a very hard time fitting in. This is because she comes from a much poorer family than most of the other girls. America is also homesick, but she knows she has to stay in the selection to help her family- since they get checks for each week she stays in the selection. As she makes her way through the selection process, she has a lot of feelings about the prince, and other people from where she comes from. Overall this was a great book. The only complaint that I have is that there are 3 books before you get to see who actually wins the selection. In the first book (The Selection) you only get to see America’s journey to the elite (which is the last 6 girls). This book is one of the best I have ever read because of the plot, characters, and many more reasons. I highly recommend The Selection.

Find it in print, ebook, eaudiobook and CD here.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

I am Elizabeth. I love reading, and my favorite book is My Sister’s Keeper. I am in the 8th grade and enjoy dance.

To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before written by Jenny Han is 355 pages long. The plot is about a teenage girl named Lara Jean Covey. She is not social at all, and she also has a few crushes over her years of going to school. Lara Jean has letters that she writes to admit her love for the boys.  However Lara Jean would never mail them out.

One day these letters somehow get mailed to the various boys, and this causes a lot of trouble for Lara Jean. Lara Jean has to figure out a way to explain exactly what these letters mean, and why she wrote them. To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the first book in a trilogy, so Lara Jean’s Journey is not complete after the first book. I’d say my favorite is the second book, but they are all great.

To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before has also been made into a movie by Netflix, so you can get an idea of what the characters and setting look like if that is a challenge for the reader. Overall this is a great book because of the plot-line, and also because of the description because it is detailed but not boring.

Find it in print and eaudiobook here.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Qwan

I am Elizabeth. I love reading, and my favorite book is My Sister’s Keeper. I am in the 8th grade and enjoy dance.

Crazy Rich Asians written by Kevin Qwan is an exceptionable book. It is 527 pages long, but the plot is amazing. It is about a girl named Rachel Chu who marries a man named Nick Young. She doesn’t know much about his family, other than they live in Singapore, since her and Nick met in the U.S. When she goes to visit them with Nick, she realizes that there is a lot she doesn’t know about him. Once they get to the airport, she is treated very special, and she thinks, oh this must be a mistake. This is my favorite part of the book because it is really humorous. As they get onto the plane, Rachel realizes that this trip definitely cost Nick a lot of money, so she feels bad. As they talk things out she realizes that he comes from a very wealthy family in Singapore.

What she doesn’t realize is all of the ins and outs of being apart of one of the most influential families in South-East Asia. Rachel has a really hard time adjusting to this lifestyle, and it causes quite a few bumps in her and Nick’s relationship. Crazy Rich Asians is one of the best books I’ve ever read, because of the detail, plot-line, and characters. I’d say that this book is really good, but a little mature for kids who are younger than 7th grade. Crazy Rich Asians is also a movie, so when you finish the book, you can watch the movie.

Find it in print, eaudiobook, CD and DVD here.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

My name is Zach. I am a seventh grader, and live in Ketchum, ID. I enjoy playing board games, reading, mountain biking, Nordic and alpine skiing, playing with my family, snowmobiling, and being outside.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann takes place in a dystopian world, called Quill, where creativity is banned, and emotion is made to be a weakness. Every year, a ceremony occurs in which all the thirteen year olds’ role in society is determined. You are either a Wanted: the highest honor, Necessary: working class, or Unwanted: sentenced to death. 

When identical twins Alex and Aaron are thirteen, Alex becomes Unwanted, and Aaron is Wanted. When Alex goes to die, no one yearns for him, as it is not allowed. 

Miraculously, Alex gets saved by an idiosyncratic magician named Mr. Today, who declares them saved. Alex, along with the other Unwanteds, are shown the unimaginable world of Artimé, where magic is taught and creativity is celebrated.

Meanwhile, in Quill, Aaron is climbing the ranks of society, becoming assistant to the High Priest. Tensions rise, and when Alex shows Aaron he is alive, a war ensues between Artimé and Quill. Alex must band together with his friends to save Artime, and magic with it.

This book is so captivating, I couldn’t stop reading it. I would recommend this book for 10-14 year olds, as there is some gore, and drama. Additionally, if you like this book, there are many more books in the series, and a second spin off series to read.

Find it in print, eaudiobook and CD here.

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Frances is in 7th grade. She enjoys Nordic skiing and plays soccer in the summer, spring and fall. She also loves writing, reading and spending time outside.

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven is a fictional romance novel.  It follows the story of Jack Masselin, a 17-year-old boy diagnosed with prosopagnosia, which is a disease hindering the person’s ability to recognize faces.  It is also the story of Libby Strout, a headstrong 16-year-old girl.  Libby was given the title “World’s Fattest Teen” because after the death of her mom she plunged into a food-eating frenzy.  During the story Libby and Jack discover they have much more in common than they thought.  Their new found common ground brings them closer together and they are brought into an unexpected relationship.

Both characters must struggle dealing with their own, complicated personal lives.  While each of them tries to grasp the concept of growing up, a new tension arises between the two changing their thoughts toward themselves and toward other people.  Throughout the book Jack and Libby each take turns describing their accounts of the story.  The novel not only changes perspectives of characters, but also switches between the past and the present.  This book is perfect if you’re looking for something to keep you entertained.  It offers a little bit of everything, humor, action, and much, much more!

Find it in print and eaudiobook here.